ST. INNOCENT OF ALASKA
MONASTIC COMMUNITY
9452 Hazelton, Redford, MI 48239-1138
E-Mail: sisterioanna@firebirdvideos.com
23 Years of Service: 2003-2026
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We welcome you to the website of the ST. INNOCENT ORTHODOX MONASTIC COMMUNITY IN REDFORD, MICHIGAN. We are a small, new-calendar ("revised Julian"), all-English monastic community under the Moscow Patriarchate. Our monastic community is located at 9452 Hazelton, Redford, MI 48239, in Redford Township, on the western side of Metropolitan Detroit, adjacent to Dearborn Heights and Livonia, just east of Telegraph. Read more.
To learn more about the practical every day dimensions of the monastic life, click here.
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WHAT'S NEW?
NEW CHARITY, "FRIENDS OF FAMILIES
Updated paragraphs and pages have been added about a THIRD ARM of our monastic ministry, our new charity, FRIENDS of Families. See below.
OBITUARY FOR CARL deVYVER: https://www.pietszak.com/obituaries/carl-devyver
ARTICLE FOR THE TRANSFIGURATION FEAST
"WHY THE TRANSFIGURATION IS SO IMPORTANT FOR ORTHODOXY"
https://stinnocentmonastery.org/whythetransfigurationissoimportantfororthodoxy
ARTICLE FOR THE PASCHA SEASON
"AND UPON THOSE IN THE TOMBS, BESTOYING LIFE" https://stinnocentmonastery.org/and_upon_those_in_the_tombs
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OTHER ARTICLES/ESSAYS POSTED:
"THE ORTHODOX FAITH: SOME BASIC PRICIPLES" https://stinnocentmonastery.org/theorthodoxfaith_somebasicprinciples
Revised tri-fold brochure posted: "THE ORTHODOX FAITH: Some Basic Principles." https://stinnocentmonastery.org/files/The-Orthodox-Faith-Tri-fold-StMichaels-Feb2020.pdf
Article (6-pages) posted: IS THERE ANY ABSOLUTE TRUTH? Post-Modernism Versus Christianity. https://stinnocentmonastery.org/isthereanyabsolutetruth
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The primary MINISTRIES OF THE ST. INNOCENT MONASTIC COMMUNITY are educational and charitable. There are 3 facets to these vital ministries.
The first arm of the major and vital work of the educational ministry of the St. Innocent Monastic Community is the written article/book form, most of which are made available on this website in the 9 pull-down tab sections: "Essays," "Saints' Lives," "Prayers For the Journey," "Mediations 1 and 2," "Sacred Places," "Holy Sacraments-Mysteries," "The Orthodox Faith," and "What in the World is the Orthodox Church?" In May 2018, when this website was created, there were 73 articles of varying lengths. In November 2018 the figure increased to 87 articles, and increased further in December with 18 additional posts. In 2020 an additional significant new 5 articles/essays were written and posted. All but 2 of these 110+ essays and other items are written by Sister Ioanna, who also makes the Firebird products. Please view these 110+ educational and spiritual entries under the 9 pull-down tab sections on this website.
The second arm of the educational ministry of the St. Innocent Monastic Community is FIREBIRD VIDEOS, AUDIOS & BOOKS, which is a producer of multi-media educational materials about the Orthodox Faith and practices, primarily video, but also includes several books and audio recordings. It functions as a subsidiary and legally registered DBA (Doing Business As) with the State of Michigan, and has its own website, which we are still in the process of revising and reviving. Currently we are not accepting orders (except for books). However, we are ever hopeful to be able to return to our work with this dimension of our educational ministry "soon." At the present, we are trying to work on the writing and publishing dimension of our ministry. (N.B. The image seen in the upper left is a painting of a Firebird.)
The third arm of the ministry of the St. Innocent Monastic Community is our new charity arm, FRIENDS OF FAMILIES, to which we dedicate a considerable amount of our available working time and energies..
MISSION STATEMENT: The FRIENDS OF FAMILIES is a revised name of the FRIENDS OF THE REDFORD COMMUNITY. It is a charitable activity of the St. Innocent of Alaska Monastic (Religious) Community, a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt corporation first established in 1988. The purpose of FRIENDS, started in December 2022, is to help families in need in Redford, one family at a time, and is a team-effort supported by various donors — individuals and businesses. In addition, the charity also provides occasional aid to the Fisher Elementary School, whose principal referred us to our one “adopted” struggling family. 95% of our work has been to minister to this one family, not just with Christmas gifts, but throughout the year, during 2024 and 2025, ministering with regular financial, emotional and social support, especially buying food every month, clothing, various other expenses, and preventing utility shut-offs. (December 2025)
We encourage people who would like to assist us as a team of family-friends in our year-round charitable ministry to our local "adopted" Redford family (plus extra families at Christmas), to make on-going donations. Checks may be made out to St. Innocent Monastery, with FRIENDS written on the FOR line, and mailed to 9452 Hazelton, Redford, MI 48239-1138. Cash or checks can always be given in person to Sister Ioanna. For Christmas 2025 we are also aiding two other struggling families, one referred to us by Grannie-Mom, and the other requested by the Fisher Elementary School.
To learn more about FRIENDS OF FAMILIES, please read the detailed descriptions about the family, our charitable work, and the formation of this charitable arm of our monastic ministry click here: (coming soon) And/or see our page tab (FRIENDS of Families) at the top of this Home Page.
To read more about Sister Ioanna, click here.
To read more about the ministry of the St. Innocent Monastic Community, click here.
Please visit the Firebird Videos website at https://www.firebirdvideos.com/.
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"Whoever eats My Flesh and drinks My Blood has eternal life,
and I will raise him up at the last day." (St. John 6:54)
"If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word;
and My father will love him,
and We will come to him
and make Our home with him." (St. John 14:23)
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To contact the webmaster, send a message to: webmaster@stinnocentmonastery.com